CSULB to consider tightening entrance requirements

LONG BEACH - Faced with ongoing state budget cuts and a record number of undergraduate applications, Cal State Long Beach is considering changes to its entrance requirements that will likely make it harder for some students to get accepted.

Beginning Friday, the university will have a series of three public hearings to discuss the proposed changes that would start in the 2013-2014 academic year. The Cal State University Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the policy change later this year.

David Dowell, the university's vice provost for planning and budgets, said the changes would help shorten the time it takes for students to earn a degree and allow the campus to use scarce resources more efficiently.

"Before we make any changes, however, it is important that we get the public's input," he said. "We will carefully consider all comments we receive from the campus and the community before we change admissions guidelines."

In one of the biggest proposed changes, transfer students would be required to take more prerequisite courses under their major before they can transfer from a community college. Criteria for freshmen would involve higher grade point averages, higher test scores and/or additional courses.

Within the 23-campus Cal State University system, Fullerton, San Diego, San Jose and San Louis Obispo have already adopted similar admissions guidelines.

Dowell said students, especially transfer students, may have to choose a major sooner, but the new criteria would help reduce the number of unnecessary courses taken and create a more streamlined path to graduation.

"We'll be working closely with counselors in high schools and community colleges to make sure students get the information they need and take the right classes," he said, adding that the changes would be phased in over the next few years to give students time to adjust.

The new admissions requirements would have an impact on the Long Beach College Promise, a partnership between Cal State Long Beach, the Long Beach Unified School District and Long Beach City College that guarantees all LBUSD graduates a slot at the university if they meet the minimum criteria.

Under the new guidelines, Dowell said the bottom 10 percent of local students currently eligible for admission would be required to take remedial classes at LBCC before they could begin taking college-level courses. The remedial courses would give students in danger of dropping out more time to prepare, while allowing for more room at the university for highly qualified, non-local students who have a good chance of graduating, he said.

"We're still deeply committed to the College Promise," Dowell added. "We are going to continue to admit 90 percent of (LBUSD) students who meet CSU minimum requirements."

University officials said the changes wouldn't have an effect on overall enrollment numbers.

LBCC President Eloy Oakley said the proposal could create an influx of students vying for community college classes over the next few years. The college has already been working to create a more streamlined path for transfer students, he said, adding that the changes are necessary for students to have college success in tough economic times.

"Ultimately, it will be better for the students because they can get the classes they need right from the beginning," he said. "We want to develop pathways that are much more efficient and get students into the CSU system as quickly as possible."

The changes come at a time of major state budget cuts to public education.

The CSU and University of California systems last year each saw a $750 million cut in state funding, while at the same time the demand for public education is growing. For fall 2012, Cal State Long Beach saw a record 76,600 applications, the highest in the CSU system.

With the possibility of more tuition hikes, budget cuts and tougher competition on the horizon, some students are taking extra measures to finish college as quickly as possible.

Sophia Magaña, an 18-year-old freshman at LBCC, says she's planning to take summer courses so that she can transfer to Cal State Long Beach in two years.

"I figured it out, and I have to take summer school if I want to transfer in two years," said Magaña, who wants to major in environmental science. "There's just no other way."

Others say they're crossing their fingers with the hopes of getting in to increasingly impacted majors. LBCC student Dennis Pech, 19, hopes to transfer to Cal State Long Beach to study nursing, an extremely popular major. Pech, a freshman, said he's started taking nursing classes but still isn't clear on what he needs to transfer and graduate.

"I'm a little concerned, but I'm meeting with my counselor this semester," he said. "Hopefully they can help me make sure I'm on the right path."